My Favorites

Is so blessed to come home to my favorites, who apparently fell asleep together watching baseball tonight:)

Now the question is: Do I wake them to move to bed???

Post Painting

We're almost done!  We only have a the stairwell left to paint, which will require Brent and I to actually have a full day at home together:)  Maybe this weekend???

Anyway, here are some updated pictures since my last painting related post. 

Luke jumping on the couch to check out the new mirror above the couch (on the freshly painted wall). 

New paint color in living room:  Indian Tears

Another shot in the living room with a fun new lamp

Love the new paint with the dishes above the cabinets.  We're still planning on adding cabinet hardware too.

New color in the kitchen:  Vigilant

Living room and kitchen walls converging in dining area

All three new colors coming together:  living room, kitchen, and hallway.

New hallway color: Sultry Castle (just a shade lighter than the kitchen and hard to decipher in the pic)

I really like the new kitchen color with our counter tops!

So, that's all she wrote...so far:) 

Like I said, we still have the stairwell to paint, the insides of our steel doors, and other finishing touches like a gallery wall of pics, etc.

Hope you can see the changes in person soon!

A Discussion with Luke

As we were driving home tonight, we had the following conversation with Luke...

Me: "Luke, can you run a mile?"
Luke: "No way!"

Pause...

Luke: "But I can run a mile in a half."

Pause...

Luke: "How long is a mile and a half?"

Man I love this kid:)

Easter on the Farm

We celebrated our last Easter at Grandpa Beckmann's farm this past weekend.  (It has become our tradition to celebrate Easter on Palm Sunday with the Beckmann family.) 

Grandpa will be moving to an apartment in Wells, MN at the beginning of May and will be leaving the home he has lived in for over 40 years.  The only home I've ever known my grandparents to share. 

It is hard to say goodbye, but I am grateful for the many memories we have from the farm and that Luke has had the opportunity to spend time with Grandpa at the farm too.

Here are some pictures from our Easter celebration together.  Everyone was there except for one of my cousins and his son.  Otherwise, the Beckmann family was well represented in our last family gathering on the farm:)

Painting in Progress

So we're finally doing it...painting pretty much our entire first floor (entry, stairwell, living room, dining/kitchen, hallway).  We haven't tackled this much painting since we moved in seven years ago and that was before we actually moved in so it was less to work around.  But, the time has come for the living room and dining/kitchen for sure as the paint is looking worn and needs some refreshing. 

This paint job has been on my radar for the past couple of years, but I knew that when I brought it up that Brent would want to change the color, which I happen to love.  Long story short, it's time to paint and we almost have the final paint colors solidified (I'm the one dragging my feet).  We got the input of a designer to help in color choice, contemplated the colors ourselves, put paint samples on the walls to see them in different lights...after all of this, I'm thinking the actual act of painting may not be so bad:) 

I personally find the paint selection to be very stressful.  That probably sounds dumb, but I know painting is  a lot of work so I don't want to do it again anytime soon.  Plus, I have to live with the color e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y.  That is quite the commitment!

I thought I'd give a sneak peak into our house in disarray as we prep walls and make the final decision on colors. 

 The disarray we call our living room

 Luke finds the new arrangement the prime location for obstacle courses and gymnastics

 After painting a sample on the large wall, we considered not painting and leaving this (which we call "Moon Over the Storm") as a art/talking piece:)

 Comparing colors

Getting Luke's input

Hopefully we'll have our living room back together before long and will be able to share the "after" pictures!

Discussions of a Daddy and Son

I was told the following story when I woke up this morning:

Luke and Brent went downstairs so Luke could watch cartoons while Brent took a shower.  They noticed that they had left their snack out from the night before (while I was gone for Bible study) and Brent mentioned that they forgot to pick it up.  Luke's response was "That's because Mommy is a keep-it-clean-kind-of-girl and Daddy is a don't-care-daddy"

So...I guess our son knows us better than we realize:) 

Recommitting

You have probably noticed that I have quite a memory.  I remember dates or at least the time frame in which events happened pretty easily...I guess it's just the way my mind works.  Well, today I have another significant date. 

This week last year, I reluctantly decided to join Weight Watchers at work.  I posted about my Weight Watchers experience back in October.  But, here I am a year out from the catalyst of my change, and I am recommitting.  The last year has taught me that I CAN set my mind to a self discipline and make a change.  The last year has also taught me my triggers and my struggle points with weight management.  As of Friday, April 1, I have recommitted to tracking Weight Watcher points and exercise points daily.  I have kept up on my Weight Watcher's lifetime membership by weighing in once a month at Weight Watchers, but I have crept up to the top of my goal after the holidays this winter. 

(To clarify, each person sets their own weight loss goal with Weight Watchers, once it is met and maintained for 6 weeks, you become a lifetime member.  Then, you are required to weigh in monthly and stay within two pounds of your goal weight to keep a free lifetime membership.  I chose my goal weight near the middle of my healthy BMI weight range.)  

So, I am recommitting to get back to the bottom of my committed weight range and hope to lose a few pounds beyond as well. 

Wish me luck!